Home
by Alex311
Summary: Andrew Lincoln played a soldier in a previous series, so I wanted to write a FF where Rick returned from war to the arms of his waiting and loving wife Michonne. There are no zombies and it is an AU Richonne fic.


**Andrew Lincoln played a soldier in a previous series, so I wanted to write a FF where Rick returned from war to the arms of his waiting and loving wife Michonne. There are no zombies and it is an AU Richonne fic.**

 **I do not own anything TWD or pertaining to it. If I did I would include more spin-offs, companion series and a musical. Just imagine singing and dancing walkers and…No?...OK, well, it's just a thought.**

 **_0_**

Home…

She prepares the 'Welcome Home' banner in the living room over the fireplace. The other decorations are set and the food is warm and the entire home is filled with the pleasing aroma of spices and comfort.

"Ding dong…ding dong." The doorbell rings. She rushes to the door to find many of her invited guests waiting with smiles and wrapped gifts. Later, more people arrive in the same fashion. The invitees gather and begin to talk as they leave their gifts in a designated area. She looks around at the familiar smiling faces and sighs.

"You OK?" Carol asks as she stands behind her. Michonne turns to answer.

"Yes…I am actually. I just know it's going to be a long journey for him, but he won't be doing it alone." Michonne conveys as she gives Carol a warm smile.

"I know he won't. Just like when he was deployed. Although you physically stayed here, I know your mind and soul went with him…I guess we should be celebrating your return as well." Carol adds as she places a gentle caring hand on Michonne's shoulder and provids a warm smile of her own.

Michonne nods at Carol as she understands and accepts Carol's analysis of her situation and personal struggle. Michonne and Rick had been married for three years, but have been together for six years. She fully understood and accepted his career goals of being active in the military and his deployments overseas and his many dangerous missions. Michonne accepted and was very supportive, but it was still very emotionally draining, especially when he was deployed to war and the guarantee of survival was nonexistent. His last tour into battle left her expecting the worst. She always feared that she would be called or visited by two soldiers in their uniforms to inform her that her love will never return to her arms.

Michonne stands by the large picture window. The window she stood at so many times and watched, hoping that she would not see those soldiers pull up to her driveway. She remembers the days she stood there, waiting, not wanting to, but felt that she had to, after not receiving a call or email from Rick indicating that he was OK. Many weeks had passed and her heart broke more and more each day. Now, she waits and sees a car pull up and it is Glen. Michonne can feel herself exhale. Michonne had held her breath many times in the past fearing the worst, but now she was able to finally breathe a sigh of relief when she saw her love, Rick, exit the passenger side of Glen's car.

XXXXXXX

Maggie hears the car's doors slam.

"They are here, now, everyone…Be quite and be ready to yell surprise!" Maggie states with excitement.

The guess stand quiet in their spots. Rick enters with his key and is greeted with a huge cheer and a loud "surprise" in unison. Rick looks around and shakes hand after hand. There are some hugs and some of his closes female friends give him gentle kisses on his cheek. He continues to look around until his eyes meet with Michonne who stands nervously by the fireplace waiting for their guests to complete their greeting. He walks slowly up to his wife.

"Hey." Rick says in a low tone with a smile.

"Hey." Michonne returns with a shy side look and soft smile. Then she looks into his gentle blue eyes. He lowers his head so their lips can meet and places a gentle kiss. He takes her right hand and places it on his chest. She feels his heartbeat. They part from their kiss as their foreheads meet.

"I'm back home." Rick whispers.

Michonne places his hand on her chest. "Me too." She whispers and Rick smiles.

XXXXXXXX

The welcome party continues with food, drinks, music and stories. Their friends; Daryl, Andrea, Abraham, Bob, Tyrese, Maggie, Carol, Tara, Eugene, Aaron, Eric, Morgan, Dale and Hershel tries to keep Rick up to date with current events that he missed while he was away. Such events; like Maggie and Glen's wedding, Andrea's latest break-up and hook-ups, needless to say Andrea wasn't amused, and progressions in Sasha, Bob and Aaron's careers. Rick listens to the information, but every time he ends a conversation with a friend he tries to take an opportunity to separate and walk away, but Michonne would find him quiet in a corner of the home far in thought.

"You OK?" Michonne inquires as she approaches the pensive man.

"Yeah…Just thinkin' is all." Rick answers. Michonne can see the sadness in his eyes.

"Whenever you want to talk about it, I'm here…you know that." Michonne insists with a smile. Rick nods. He looks over her shoulder when he hears a whistle and it is Abraham motioning with his hand for Rick and Michonne to come over. Abraham wants to make a toast.

Everyone has their glasses ready.

"This toast goes out to one of the most heroic, selfless and luckiest son of a bitch I have ever known. To my dear friend Rick. I know how hard it must have been, being out there myself…It's great to have you back buddy." Abraham takes a sip as does everyone else.

"Yeah, I could always go to you for anything and your friendship means a lot to me." Bob adds. "I would also like to say that during the hardest moment you have the most humorous personality." Bob continues.

"Like what? Tell us!" Glen request to continue lifting the mood.

Rick shakes his head and laughs. "Come on man, don't embarrass me now." Rick looks over at Michonne and laughs.

"I don't know Rick, your friends want to hear it. Maybe I should talk about the time you got us lost and then we had to ask the locals how to get back and we were shitting bricks because of you." The others began to laugh at Bob's story and Rick's red face.

"Nah, tell them about the time Rick tried to cook BBQ and almost burned down the tent." Abraham chimes in.

The guests start to laugh without hearing the whole thing. Rick pinches the bridge of his nose but can't contain his laugh.

"Yeah that was funny Abraham. But remember how Shane tried to…" Bob stops talking and looks down after mentioning Shane. The room becomes silent and Rick places his hands on his hip, looks down then up as he tries to keep tears from falling. Abraham looks down and nods in silence.

"Yeah…Shane was always there …For all of us." Rick says as he looks over at his guests. "He saved us from that disastrous BBQ, if you can call it that." Rick struggles to smile. "He saved me and that is why I am here." Rick looks over at Michonne who cannot stop a tear from escaping from her eye.

"So I would also like to make a toast. It is for our dear friend Shane. Because of him…I'm home." Rick picks up a glass, lifts it, his guests follow and he takes a sip.

Carol looks at the somber faces and after a few seconds of silence passes, she turns on the music and begins to offer guests cake.

XXXXXXXX

It is the late afternoon and the final guests have left. Michonne places some last remaining dishes in the sink. It is quiet and she walks upstairs. She opens her bedroom door to see Rick siting at the side of the bed looking ahead. His right hand is shaking. She walks up to him and stands in front of him.

"Everyone is gone. Go ahead and get some needed rest." She says as she runs her hands through his curls. Rick closes his eyes and exhales loudly with the feeling of her touch.

Michonne turns to walk away when Rick gently grabs her wrist and pulls her to him. She stands once again in front of him and he pulls her into an embrace. He places the side of his head on her lower abdomen and holds her close and tight. She continues to caress his head. He looks up at her.

"I missed you." He says.

She bends down to kiss him. She parts from the kiss to push him back gently and then straddles him. Rick lays back as she bends her upper body down to kiss him. At first, the kiss is gentle, but then it becomes more languished and turns into an open mouth affair. They begin to taste each other as their tongues venture within each other's mouths. The need to feel and taste each other has been long overdue. Rick begins to remove her blouse and tosses it to the side. Michonne also helps him discard his clothing. They stop from kissing only to take off something and then resume what is more important. Being together once again, the physical connection they craved, although they were mentally and spiritually linked during their torturous separation, their bodies needed the satisfaction of joining and being one.

Michonne takes a moment to look at Rick. She gently caresses his face as she takes in his features. He does the same with her.

"I'm home Michonne…I ain't goin' anywhere again!" Rick declares. His words brings them into a deeper kiss. The kissing leads to a passionate embrace where Rick rolls Michonne over until his body is hovering over hers. His right hand travels over her naked body. There are places that felt ticklish to the touch that make them both laugh. Rick kisses Michonne's lips, then her neck and her collar bone. He whispers how much he loves her as he holds her tight. The lovemaking continues through the night. Although Rick's thrusting and their moaning causes such heat between them, the cool air from the open window cools their bodies. They end their mutual exploration of their bodies that resembled in many ways the first time they made love, once they reach ultimate climax rendering them tired and ready to escape into a deep sleep. They sleep on their sides holding each other as their bodies recover from their passionate battle of pleasure and love.

XXXXXXXXX

 _*_ Rick is dreaming*

" _BOOM!" The military vehicles are under attack. There is shooting and bombs going off everywhere. People are trying to fight or run for cover. People in military uniforms from both sides are fighting. Rick's vehicle is hit; he and the others must run for safety. He can see a ditch not too far. He points to the ditch and instructs everyone to follow._

" _Come on guys! Let's go!" Shane yells. The shooting and bombs continue. Most of the people in Rick's platoon are able to jump in the ditch away from the mayhem. From far, Rick can see a fellow soldier shot in the leg, she is struggling to get to safety. Rick jumps out of where he is to get to her. Shane follows to help Rick._

 _Rick is almost safe; a rocket is launched and hits the vehicle behind him. Rick pushes the soldier into safety, but he is out in the open. The vehicle explodes and Rick falls on the ground due to the impact. He feels someone over him. Once the sound of the explosion is over, Rick lifts himself and the person on him falls to the side. It is Shane and he is hurt. He has a large piece of metal from the explosion piecing his upper back. He can't walk, so Rick and the other soldiers help pull Shane into the ditch for safety. The shooting begins to subside as they hear helicopters and backup from other fellow soldiers at the scene. Rick is on the ground with Shane's upper body on his lap. Shane looks up at a visibly distraught Rick._

" _Why brother?"Rick questions as tears roll down his dust covered face._

" _If one of us gets to go home…It might as well be you…Rick, go home to her." Blood begins to pour from Shane's mouth. He closes his eyes and his face falls to the side._

XXXXXXXXXX

It is three in the morning and Rick is moving in his sleep. His eyes are closed but they rapidly move under the eyelids. He mouth opens to say some incoherent words. His hands begin to move, his legs begin to kick, and his head is moving side to side.

"Shane! No!" Rick opens his eyes to see Michonne looking over him. She caresses his sweaty face.

Rick looks at Michonne and tears begin to fill his blue eyes. "He died protecting me…He died, Michonne…I lost my best friend…I lost him."

"I know…I know Rick." Michonne states as she places her forehead against his.

"Michonne?"

"Yes."

"He wanted me to come home…to you." Rick looks into Michonne's eyes. "I am never goin' to leave you again. Never!" Rick declares with a lingering kiss.

Michonne slowly parts from the kiss. "Rick, when you were away, I felt like my life stopped too. I worked, I ate, well…I tried, but the most I did was worry, wonder and wait. You were over there and in some ways, so was I. I don't want any more time apart either. Your friend sacrificed so much…and it won't go in vain." Michonne lay next to Rick as they hold each other.

"I'm home Michonne…I'm home." Rick promises.

"I know…and I'm home too." Michonne adds.

 **_0_**

 **This was inspired by my parents' story. My mother was a military wife for over 30 years and saw my dad leave for active duty. She lived with the fear that he might not come home alive. No matter how much she tried to prepare for the worst, it was always hard. I remember watching her look out the window when she didn't hear from my dad. When I was older I asked about that and she told me that if two military personnel came in uniforms, to her door that meant something bad happened, but thank God they never did. My dad later retired. His last tour was the hardest and not everyone from his unit returned alive. I dedicate this not only to the soldiers, but also their loved ones who stay "behind" but their thoughts; hearts and souls are very much by their side in battle.**

 **Thanks for reading**


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